THE TENSION: Illegal Alien Absurdity

The truth is out there
Open thread:

Today, The New York Times opens a new assault on our intelligence with the headline: Immigration Bill Provisions Gain Wide Support in Poll.

As opponents from the right and left challenge an immigration bill before Congress, there is broad support among Americans -- Democrats, Republicans and independents alike -- for the major provisions in the legislation, according to the latest New York Times/CBS News poll.

Taking a pragmatic view on a divisive issue, a large majority of Americans want to change the immigration laws to allow illegal immigrants to gain legal status and to create a new guest worker program to meet future labor demands, the poll found.

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Half of Americans say they are ready to transform the process for selecting new immigrants as proposed in the bill, giving priority to job skills and education levels over family ties to the United States, which have been the foundation of the immigration system for four decades.

Point by point, large majorities expressed support for measures in the legislation that has been under debate since Monday in the Senate.

However, the story's thesis is about as far from the meat of the news as the writers could make it. Rather, the story is a blatant attempt to form positive opinions for us. The key word to the deception here is "provisions."

Take a look at the graphic below. The questions asked in the Times poll refer to broad issues and not to the actual "provisions" of the bill.

When we read six paragraphs into the story we find the truth:

The nationwide telephone poll did not ask respondents about the immigration bill itself, but there were questions about its most significant provisions. It was conducted May 18 to 23 with 1,125 adults, and has a margin of sampling error of plus or minus three percentage points.

Few congressional leaders have read the 500+ pages covering the provisions of the bill, much less the average person on the street who has yet to even see the bill.

In another story by the Associated Press, we are told:

Illegal immigrants could fall prey to loan sharks and other unscrupulous lenders if they have to pay $5,000 in fines and thousands more in fees and back taxes as required under the immigration reform measure now before Congress, some advocates are warning.

However, if the bill is passed, illegal aliens will actually become legal immigrants whether or not they apply for citizenship. Once legal, it is pretty unlikely immigrants will be forced to pay fines.

To make it across the border, many illegal immigrants pay thousands of dollars to smugglers, who sometimes threaten them with death if they don't pay their debts. Then, many make low wages working in agriculture, construction and the hotel and restaurant industry. Out of that, they often send money back home to support their families. And because they are illegal, they tend to distrust banks.